Simple Sardine Sambal

When I've no idea on what to cook, I resort to making sardine sambal. It's tasty and very quick to make. I just use canned sardines in tomato sauce which is easily available at the grocers. 

Before making the sambal cut into cubes a potato, boil it and keep aside.

In a pan heat some oil and fry sliced onion and garlic till soft and fragrant. 

Then add a few dried chillies and curry leaves. Fry for about a minute.

Add chilli powder and fry for another minute or so.

Stir in the whole content of the canned sardine. Break the sardines into smaller chunks using the ladle. Add some water and cook for another 5 minutes.

Lastly add the boiled potatoes and tamarind juice and mix well. Continue to cook for another 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and sprinkle some chopped coriander. Serve warm with rice or chapathi.

SIMPLE SARDINE SAMBAL

+PRINT RECIPE HERE
INGREDIENTS:

1 small canned sardine

1 potato, peeled, cubed and boiled

1 onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, sliced

3 dried chillies

A sprig of curry leaves

3 tbsp tamarind juice

1 tsp chilli powder

2 tbsp oil

1/2 cup water

Salt to taste

METHOD:

1) Peel one potato. Cube and boil it till fork tender. Keep aside.

2) In a pan heat 2 tbsp oil and fry the sliced onion and garlic for 1-2 minutes till soft and fragrant.

3) Add the dried chillies and curry leaves and continue to fry for another minute.

4) Stir in chilli powder and fry for another minute till the raw smell is gone.

5) Add the canned sardines and break the sardines into smaller chunks using the ladle.

6) Add 1/2 cup of water and salt to taste and cook for 5-7 minutes.

7) Stir in the boiled potato and tamarind juice and cook for another 2 minutes.

8) Remove from heat and sprinkle some chopped coriander. Serve with rice or chapathi. 

NOTE:
The tamarind juice used in this recipe can be substituted with 1 finely chopped tomato. If this is done, add the tomato when frying the chillies and curry leaves.

 *This recipe serves 2-3

 

Amma's Sambar

Till this very day I think that my mum makes the best sambar ever. I bet everyone thinks the same about their own mum's cooking. Anyhow, when my mum was away for holidays the other day, I wanted to have sambar and I had to make it all by myself from scratch. I've only assisted my mum when she makes sambar, and never tried making it on my own. So, when I was left on my own, I had to recollect how my mum made sambar and just hoped that it would turn out well, or at least edible.

I started off by pressure cooking rinsed toovaram parapu/toor dal with cubed potato, garlic, turmeric, chilli powder and water for 30 minutes in an electrical pressure cooker. 

  
Meanwhile, prepare all the other ingredients for the sambar.

Once it is done, remove the potatoes and keep aside and pour the cooked dal into a different pan and gently simmer it. 

 

 

In a separate pan, temper the ingredients which is to be added to the dal. Heat some oil and add mustard seeds and cumin. Then add the green chillies, curry leaves, tomato and carrot and fry for a minute or two. 

Remove the tempered ingredients from heat and pour it into the simmering dal and mix well.

Add some salt and water and cover the the pan. Let it cook for 30 minutes until the carrots are cooked.

Once the carrots are done, add the cooked potatoes and tamarind juice and boil for another 5 minutes. Lastly some asafoetida and remove from heat.

AMMA'S SAMBAR

+PRINT RECIPE HERE
INGREDIENTS:

To pressure cook:
1 cup toovaram parapu/toor dal
2 potato, peeled & cubed
4 cups water
3 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder

For tempering:
3 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp cumin
2 red onion, sliced
2 green chillies, split
1 tomato
1/2 medium carrot, sliced

Seasoning:
4-5 tbsp tamarind juice
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp asafoetida

METHOD:
1) Pressure cook rinsed toor dal, cubed potatoes, garlic, turmeric and chilli powder with 4 cups of water for 30 minutes.
*If you don't have a pressure cooker, soak the dal for 2-4 hours and cook it on the stove for about 30 minutes with all the other ingredients.
2) Once the dal is done, remove the potatoes and keep aside.
3) Pour the cooked dal into a different pan and gently simmer in low heat.
4) In a separate pan start tempering the ingredients for the sambar.
5) Start by heating 3 tbsp oil and add the mustard seed and cumin. Fry for about 15-30 seconds.
6) Add the green chillies and curry leaves and fry for 1 minute.
7) Add the sliced onions and fry for 1-2 minutes till soft and fragrant.
8) Go on to add the tomato and carrot. Fry for another minute.
9) Remove the tempered ingredients from heat and pour it into the simmering dal.
10) If the sambar is too thick at this stage, add about another cup of water.
11) Add some salt and cover the pan. Gently simmer the sambar on low heat for 30 minutes until the carrots are soft.
12) Add the cooked potatoes and tamarind juice and boil for another 5 minutes.
13) Lastly add the asafoetida and mix well. 
14) Remove from heat and serve hot with rice or chapathi.

*This recipe serves 4-6  

Spicy Prawn Sambal

Whenever I make sambal, I do not have a specific recipe which I follow. I tend to make up the recipe as I go along, making do with whatever I have in my pantry.

For making sambal I usually use ground dry chillies that I've soaked in hot water. For this prawn sambal I did things a little differently. Due to the small quantity of red chilli I'm using in this recipe, I decided to grind the soaked dry chilli with one red onion.

Go on to prepare the other necessary ingredients.

In a pan, heat some oil and fry the sliced spanish onion  along with some ginger garlic paste till soft and fragrant.

Then go on to add the chopped tomato and curry leaves and fry about a minute or so.

Add the chilli onion paste and fry till it becomes dry and the raw chilli smell is gone. Then add the dark soy sauce and mix well. You may wonder why am I adding dark soy sauce in the sambal. I do this to make the sambal appear in a deep red colour just like the ones you get at restaurants.

 

 

 

Add some water and salt and simmer for 15-20 minutes. 

 

Add some tamarind juice and the prawns and toss well. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes or till the sambal reaches desired consistency.

SPICY PRAWN SAMBAL

+PRINT RECIPE HERE 

INGREDIENTS:

300 g prawns, shelled & deveined

1 spanish onion, sliced

2 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 sprig curry leaves

1 tomato, finely chopped

1/2 tsp dark soy sauce

1 1/2 cups water

2 1/2 tbsp tamarind juice

2 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

To make paste:  

10-12 dry red chillies, soaked in hot water

1 red onion

METHOD:

1)  Take 10-12 dry red chillies and soak it in hot water for 15-20 minutes till soft.

2)  Grind one red onion and the soaked red chillies with a little water  to make a paste.

3)  In a pan heat 2 tbsp of oil and fry the sliced onion and ginger garlic paste for  about 1-2 minutes till soft and fragrant.

4)  Add the chopped tomato and curry leaves and continue frying for 1 minute.

5)  Add the chilli onion paste and fry for 4-5 minutes till the raw smell of the chilli is almost gone. Make sure to keep stirring at this point so that the paste would not burn and get stuck to the bottom of the pan.

6)  Add the dark soy sauce and mix well.

7)  Add 1 1/2 cups of water and simmer the sambal for 15-20 minutes in medium low heat till the raw chilli smell is completely gone the sambal has thicken a little.

8)  Add the tamarind juice and prawns and toss well.

9)  Cook for another 5 minutes or till the sambal reaches desired consistency.

10)  Remove from heat and sprinkle some chopped coriander.

* This recipe serves 2